Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has missions of service, training and research, as part of the Department of Psychiatry, Maine Medical Center, and Maine Behavioral Healthcare – the behavioral health component of MaineHealth.

The Division offers a continuum of services which includes the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at Maine Medical Center and psychiatric inpatient treatment at Spring Harbor Hospital. We have close relationships with other programs of Maine Behavioral Healthcare, throughout Greater Portland, Southern, and Mid-Coast Maine, some of which also offer case management and home-based treatment.

We offer a variety of services and treatment options for those under 21 with mood, anxiety, behavior, psychotic, learning, and developmental disorders, those at risk for suicide, those who have experienced adverse or traumatic events, and substance abuse co-occurring with mental illness. Evaluations may include assessment of autism and other developmental disorders. The Clinic staff includes child and adolescent psychiatrists, clinical social workers, a psychologist, and clinic assistants.

The Clinic offers consultation to pediatric and family medicine practices and to The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, and co-management of children with physical illnesses with associated emotional and behavioral difficulties. It includes an innovative program of close collaboration with pediatricians, the Child Psychiatry Access Program (CPAP), and it is part of a state-wide program of integration of mental health services and primary care.

We have a multidisciplinary team highly experienced in diagnosing and treating psychiatric and co-occurring disorders in youth that includes:

Board Certified child psychiatrists

Resident physicians in child psychiatry

Registered Nurse

Licensed Clinical Social Workers

Psychologists

Training is one of the Division’s central missions. Residents in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, General Psychiatry, working closely with senior clinicians and attending psychiatrists, play a major role in treatment in the Clinic. Residents in Pediatrics and Medical Students are also involved in training.

Our mission is to deliver timely diagnosis and effective individualized treatment to youth and families of greater Portland who experience mental illness or co-occurring substance abuse. We deliver timely assessments and provide expert evaluation and treatment for youth and families.

For Youth & Families

We welcome calls from parents and families in Greater Portland whose children could benefit from any of our services:

Psychiatric Evaluation

Recommendations for mental health and substance abuse treatment, including medications and psychotherapy

Individual therapy for youth

Family therapy

We also offer an Autism, Developmental Disorders & Early Childhood Clinic, which is a program for children 0-5 years old who have been identified as having autistic symptoms by their pediatricians, as well as those referred by caregivers, agencies and other professionals.

Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

An outpatient group and individual therapy program to help adolescents with:

We excel in the diagnosis and treatment of youth psychiatric and co-occurring disorders. We take pride in assisting local primary care physicians and pediatricians in delivering safe and effective mental health treatment for their patients with the best possible outcomes.

These professionals can call on us for the following consultation support:

Diagnosing psychiatric issues

Confirming psychiatric and co-occurring diagnoses

Recommending treatment approaches, including medications and psychotherapy, as appropriate

Consultation entails a thorough psychiatric evaluation culminating in a diagnostic impression and recommendations for treatment, including both psychotherapy and medications. It does not typically involve on-going management of the patient.